Life's Too Short
by SeaSaw
Summary: Flashback for "Is there truly life after death?". Jigsaw has rules that if not followed can result in an untimely death. Will Michelle pay for her disobedience by being trapped or will she learn a much more painful lesson? Please review. One shot.


The shrill screams that echoed through the hallways were familiar sounds here in the lair but for someone who wasn't used to it, for someone who was nothing like the others that lived here it was almost agonizing mental torture. She shivered at the sound echoing down the hallway from the most recent victim of John's and even though it probably wasn't the best idea in the world she felt inclined to see who this person was suffering like her. That sick curiosity had suddenly become a staple behavior for her and she knew how unhealthy it really was but she couldn't stop herself. She hadn't been down these hallways by herself just yet, she wasn't supposed to be wandering them according to John's rules so for a good long while she stared down the hallway with the door open before looking over her shoulder to check for him keeping "tabs" on her one last time. When she realized he was complete engulfed in his work she very quietly stepped through the door, making sure to gently shut it behind her. When she turned to look down the dimly lit hallway she didn't hear anything so she continued very gingerly, making sure not to step on or trip over anything - in this place it could be the last time she even managed to sneak around if she did.

Looking all around her, she peered up towards the ceiling noting the various cameras strewn throughout the hallway and hoped no one was watching her at the moment. To make this "discovery" trip of hers even worse were the blood stains ever present on the floor and the walls. Some were hand prints, some looked as though someone had their insides blown to pieces, and others looked like people being drug or dragging themselves across the floor to what safety they believed they might find. It all made her feel a bit queasy but now certainly wasn't the time to lose her lunch. She stopped a metal grate and extended her foot, pressing down on it to make sure it wouldn't cave in and send her plummeting into what looked like a pit of spikes underneath and when she was sure it was okay, she walked over it. She could see the pipes sending heat to the lair were exceedingly hot and made certain not to bump into them for any particular reason - you could never tell what would jump out at you or come up behind you here. As she felt her blood run cold the further she went with all the gruesome sights and of course smells she heard what sounded like someone sobbing. Stopping in her tracks, she simply looked around noting a metal cage of sorts and could see someone or something moving around. As she slowly walked closer crossing one ankle over the other as she pressed one hand to the wall she started to distinguish that the individual she heard was sitting in a chair, strapped down. They were hardly struggling before she heard the buzz of a TV and stepped to press her back against the wall so she wasn't in view. Why was she going to stand here and watch this anyway? Something wasn't quite right with her head…

As the instructions for the game were played and quickly shut off she heard the sickening sound of what seemed to be a power drill going off and that horrified screaming she heard earlier was much louder. She cringed and stuck her fingers in her ears before picking her head up and slowly sliding down the wall to get a better view. She noticed long blonde hair hanging down and of course could only deduce that the person in the trap was indeed a young woman. Whoever they were they weren't doing a very good job fighting against the timer now down to 30 seconds. Coming up on the door of a cage and a better view she suddenly froze, eyes going wide and lunged at the door, lacing her fingers through the metal and grabbing "LACEY!" The girl in the cage looked over at the door and screamed as a drill moved closer to her abdomen. "FUCK!" she should have never come down here, she should have never been witness to this - she had to save her. She pulled forcefully on the door repeatedly, frantically to try and open it but it was locked for the time being. The girl looked over at her finally getting her right arm free and reached towards her as the timer went off before the drill plunged into her abdomen. Lacey coughed up blood in response, gyrating with the movement of the drill. Michelle screamed, kicking the door violently and felt her heart rip into tiny little pieces as if something was physically tearing it apart. The buzzer went off and the door unlocked as she was pushing on it, causing her to stumble into the cage as the door swung open. She ran over to the chair, the drill still going off as she tried desperately to stop it but without mutilating herself it wouldn't happen. Blood spattered all over her face and her clothes, but she didn't care, adrenaline pumping as she had to save Lacey. She undid the restraint remaining on her other wrist before the drill moved back and yanked one of the few people she actually knew from the chair. She dropped down to the floor with Lacey in her arms, holding her against her and trying to wipe the blood from her face with her hand her own face covered in her blood. "Lacey? Lacey! Talk to me! Don't you fucking die on me!" It was clearly too late as Lacey lay slumped in her arms, Michelle's head dropping down onto the top of her head, completely soaked in her blood. The reality she had to face was that she allowed this to happen - not really, but nothing could convince her otherwise. She rocked back and forth with the girl in her arms, softly whispering "no" repeatedly. Her mind shut down as she was clearly in more shock then she was when she was facing one of Jigsaw's tests.

"I thought he told you not to come down here alone." Amanda's voice echoed through the now quiet hallway as Michelle lifted her head to look at her. Amanda smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head "This is what it's like. If you can't handle one little person dying who didn't deserve their life how are you going to handle when 6 people face their fates together? By the way, you got a little something on your face…" The condescending nature of her comment seemed to strike a cord in the young woman who glared at her silently. "You aren't gonna cry now, are you? You're so weak."

Amanda wasn't prepared for the strange rage that overtook her, but after what she just witnessed, the death of someone she knew and Amanda mocking it were about all she could take. Amanda stumbled out of the cage as Michelle lunged at her, shoving her backwards, bloody handprints appearing on her shirt where she grabbed her. She slammed Amanda's back into the wall, Amanda reaching up and grabbing her wrists but before she could do anything, she yanked one wrist free and hauled off, slapping Amanda across the face. As her head jerked to the side she released her shirt and stumbled backwards still in a state of delirium. "You fucking bitch! That was one of the only people I could call my friend! How dare you talk about it like it's fucking nothing! Look at this! Look at all the blood! She died for no fucking reason!"

Amanda was fuming, approaching her slowly before grabbing her by the neck and slamming her into the cage. "You listen to me and you fucking listen good you bitch. First off if you _ever _touch me again I will kill you. Secondly this is how it works here! That bitch died cause she didn't appreciate or even deserve her life!! John doesn't murder people, he gives them a chance. She had a chance! Hell you saw it for yourself! Now get over it because the bitch is dead!"

"Enough." the voice behind Amanda was rough and authoritative and Amanda let go of the woman in her grasp, apologizing before stepping off to the side. John quickly closed the gap between him and Michelle, looking her dead in the face, clearly not amused and very upset with her actions. "I told you to never come down here alone but you didn't listen to me." He brashly grabbed her by the arm and yanked her next to him, heading back down the hallway with her in tow and Amanda following closely behind them. He looked over his shoulder at Amanda as they entered the room and the door was shut behind them, Amanda stepping off to the side before slowly walking away from the two of them, disappointedly at that. "Don't you ever disobey me again. Go clean yourself up." he shoved her in the direction of the bathroom but not before she shoot off a "fuck you" rather aggressively and stormed off. He thought Amanda was frustrating to deal with sometimes but Michelle most certainly had her beat as far as being stubborn was concerned. This prospect would take quite some time to mould.


End file.
